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Landscape and Townscape Appraisal

St Cuthbert’s Garden Village

Prepared by LUC in association with Nick Haynes

May 2017

Project Title: Landscape and Townscape Appraisal of the Carlisle South Area

Client: Carlisle City Council

Version Date Version Details Prepared by Checked by Approved by

1 13 March 2017 Draft SMO/AB/NH PDM SCO

2 10 April 2017 Final draft SMO/PDM PDM SCO

3 2 May 2017 Final SMO/PDM PDM SCO

Landscape and Townscape Appraisal of the Carlisle South Area.docx

Last saved: 02/05/2017 15:51

Landscape and Townscape

Appraisal

St Cuthbert’s Garden Village

Prepared by LUC in association with Nick Haynes

May 2017

Planning & EIA

Design

Landscape Planning

Landscape Management

Ecology

Mapping & Visualisation

LUC EDINBURGH 28 Stafford Street Edinburgh EH3 7BD T +44 (0)131 202 1616 [email protected]

FS 566056 EMS 566057

Land Use Consultants Ltd Registered in England Registered number: 2549296 Registered Office: 43 Chalton Street London NW1 1JD

LUC uses 100% recycled paper

Offices also in London Bristol Glasgow

Contents

1 Introduction 2 St Cuthbert‟s Garden Village 2

2 Methodology 5 Baseline review 5 Appraisal and evaluation 5 Application 6

3 Overview of the area 9 Historical development 9 Landscape character 11

4 Character area 1 13






10 References 63 Select Bibliography 63

Appendix 1 Field survey sheets

Landscape and Townscape Appraisal: St Cuthbert‟s Garden Village 2 May 2017

1 Introduction

Objectives of the study

1.1 This study was commissioned by Carlisle City Council, to provide a

strategic appraisal of the landscape and townscape character of

the Carlisle South area. The objectives of the study were defined

in the Council‟s brief as follows:

Landscape

To produce a summary of the historical landscape

development within Carlisle South;

To identify existing landscape features and their

connectivity within the area;

To assess the sensitivity of the landscape to absorb

change, including reference to landscape value at strategic

and local level;

To identify key views into and out of the area;

To evaluate the visual importance of the Rivers Caldew and

Petteril; and

To identify opportunities to integrate open space and green

infrastructure into the master planning process – taking into

account, where applicable, the 10 garden city principles set

out by the Town and Country Planning Association.

Townscape

To produce a summary of the historic development of the

built environment within the area;

To assess the form, character, building styles and

common vernacular of the villages of Carleton, Brisco,

Durdar, Blackwell, and Cummersdale, as well as other built

features in the landscape;

To assess the relationship between these settlements and

their surrounding landscape context;

Identify focal points within the area around which separate

character areas could evolve;

Identify any landmarks within the area and beyond, that are

of strategic importance; and

Recommend broad design principles for creating a sense of

place, whilst reinforcing locally distinctive patterns of

development.

1.2 The approach taken has been to integrate the landscape and

townscape elements of these objectives to provide a holistic

overview of the landscape and townscape values attached to the

Carlisle South area. The study provides evidence and guidance

that will inform the development of a masterplan for Carlisle

South. It draws on a range of published information, but

examines this at a more local scale to develop a detailed picture of

the variations in landscape and townscape across the area, as well

as the interactions between them.

St Cuthbert‟s Garden Village

1.3 Now known as St Cuthbert‟s Garden Village, the area referred to

as Carlisle South was first identified in the Carlisle District Local

Plan 2015-2030 (CDLP). The area shown on the Key Diagram is

described in Policy SP3 as a “broad location for growth for a major

mixed use development, focusing on housing”. The Policy sets out

that development of the area will be guided by a masterplan that

will be approved as a Development Plan Document. The


exploration of a link road connecting the A689 to the M6 will be an

integral part of the masterplan.

1.4 Policy SP3 is aligned with paragraph 52 of the National Planning

Policy Framework (NPPF), which states that the supply of new

homes may be secured through planning for new settlements that

follow „Garden City‟ principles.

1.5 The Council subsequently submitted an expression of interest to

the Homes and Communities Agency for a garden village of up to

10,000 homes, to be developed based on the Garden City

principles defined by the Town and Country Planning Association.

This was accepted by the HCA as one of 14 garden villages

announced in January 2017.

1.6 The present commission is one of the first pieces of work

commissioned in relation to the development of Carlisle South. It

aims to provide evidence of the existing and historic character in

the area, and will inform the masterplanning process.

Study area

1.7 The indicative boundary of the Carlisle South area, as defined in

the expression of interest, is shown in Figure 1.1. To ensure that

the study took due account of cross boundary views and features,

the study has examined a slightly wider area, of up to 1km around

this boundary.

1.8 Proposals are in development for a new link road between the

A689 Carlisle western by-pass and the M6 at Junction 42. These

proposals are at an early stage and are not therefore considered in

detail within this study, which is focused on describing and

evaluating the existing situation within Carlisle South. The

findings of this study will be available to inform further

development of the link road route.


Figure 1.1 Indicative study area boundary


2 Methodology

2.1 The approach was based around integrating the landscape and

townscape elements of the study into a holistic evaluation that

included the following key steps:

Describe the historic development and current landscape and

townscape features of the Carlisle South area;

Evaluate the key natural and built features of the area, such

as villages, farms, rivers;

Identify interrelationships, both physical and visual, between

these features; and

Provide advice as to how these features and connections can

best be reflected in development proposals for Carlisle South.

Baseline review

2.2 Through a combination of desk study and field work, the first

stage of the work aimed to assemble a complete picture of the

character and features of the area, including its past development,

and any sites designated for their historic, landscape or natural

heritage value.

2.3 Key sources of information included:

Relevant landscape character assessments, including the

Cumbria Landscape Character Guidance and Toolkit;

Historic Landscape Characterisation for Cumbria;

Historic Environment Records for the area;

Ordnance Survey mapping, including historic mapping, and

aerial photography; and

Information on sites designated for historic, landscape or

natural heritage value.

2.4 Baseline information gathered from these sources was verified in

the field during detailed site visits carried out in February 2017.

As well as verifying research, the field work was essential to

gather more detailed information on the local area, including:

Village form, building styles and vernacular features;

Views and visual relationships, including focal points within

and without the study area; and

Relationships and connections, both visual and physical, within

and beyond the study area.

Appraisal and evaluation

Identification of character areas

2.5 The assets, features and characteristics identified were analysed

further to determine their importance to the area and their

contribution to distinctive character either locally or more widely.

2.6 Units of discrete character were identified within the study area,

and these have been used to assemble and evaluate information

on each location. These are defined as recognisable units,

reflecting both landscape character and historic character.

2.7 Identification of character units has the benefit of allowing the

material to be presented in a spatially organised manner, though it

is important to retain an understanding of connections and

connectivity between these parcels. For each landscape unit, a

description and analysis of the historic landscape is provided,

including:


how the area has developed through time;

the heritage assets present;

the surrounding area and landscape; and

the wider heritage context of the area.

2.8 This section goes on to describe the current landscape of the area

in terms of its physical, natural, cultural and perceptual influences.

These include consideration of topography, geology, drainage, land

cover, land use, woodlands and trees, and built form.

2.9 Visual and physical connections have been analysed to determine

links across the Carlisle South area, and between the area and the

surrounding landscape. These include existing habitat networks

and corridors, such as river valleys, and any linear assets.

Existing patterns of access have been analysed, including roads as

well as recreational walking and cycle routes.

Landscape sensitivity

2.10 An appraisal of landscape sensitivity has been carried out in

relation to each landscape unit, considering the importance of its

elements and characteristics to the wider landscape. The aim here

is to understand features and aspects which either merit protection

or which indicate potential opportunities for development.

2.11 In line with the recommendations in Topic Paper 6,1 the

assessment of landscape sensitivity is based on an assessment of

landscape character using carefully defined criteria. Criteria

selection is based on the attributes of the landscape most likely to

be affected by development, and considers both „landscape‟ and

„visual‟ aspects of sensitivity. The criteria chosen for the study are

also aimed at highlighting:

the role the landscape plays in providing a setting to existing

development; and

the function of the study area for a range of ecosystem

services (natural, cultural and perceptual).

1 Countryside Agency and Scottish Natural Heritage (2004) Topic Paper 6: Techniques and

criteria for judging landscape sensitivity and capacity

2.12 Table 2.1 overleaf sets out the landscape and visual criteria used

for the assessment of landscape sensitivity. For each character

area, an overall evaluation of sensitivity is presented, with detailed

information against each of the criteria (see Appendix 1).

Historic environment values, significance and sensitivity

2.13 A desk-based assessment of the historic environment of each

character area was undertaken, identifying:

Known heritage assets;

Historic landscape character;

Likely archaeological potential;

Heritage values associated with places and assets;

Role of character areas in the setting of heritage assets;

Key relationships and views, contributing to heritage

significance.

2.14 For the area‟s settlements, more detailed appraisal of their

historical development – based on documentary and archival

research – was undertaken to understand their place in the

landscape and role in shaping current character.

2.15 Field visits were undertaken to confirm desk-based findings, and

key issues fed into discussions of wider landscape sensitivity.

Judgements on archaeological potential, the influence of heritage

assets and the need to conserve and enhance key elements of

historic character were then fed in to overall assessments of

sensitivity, and guidelines for development.

Application

2.16 Based on the evaluations of landscape sensitivity and heritage

values, the study goes on to detail a series of key guidelines for

each landscape unit. These aim to set out:


Areas which are of high sensitivity and where the siting and

design of any built development will need careful

consideration;

Areas of lower sensitivity that could accommodate built

development, subject to siting, design and mitigation;

Features that should be retained where possible, including

natural or built elements or views; and

Potentially appropriate responses, in terms of sensitive reuse,

retention or mitigation.

2.17 The development guidelines are supported by photographs taken

on site, as well as maps that identify key features, links, views and

connectivity within and between landscape units and the wider

area.


Table 2.1 Sensitivity assessment criteria and definitions

Criteria Description

LANDSCAPE

Topography Smooth, gently undulating or flat landforms are likely to be less sensitive to development than a landscape with

dramatic or distinct landforms such as prominent ridges or steep slopes.

Scale (landform and

component landscape

features)

Larger scale and more open landforms are likely to be less sensitive than smaller scale, enclosed landforms. Areas with

more open fields are also less sensitive than smaller, more intricate field cover.

Existing human-scale features in the landscape, in the form of buildings or trees, will influence the scale of development

that can be readily accommodated in the landscape.

Landscape pattern and

complexity (including sense

of time-depth)

Landscapes with smaller-scale, more irregular field patterns are likely to be more sensitive to the introduction of

development than landscapes with large, regular scale field patterns because of the potential for loss of characteristic

landscape patterns.

Distinctive landscape elements including areas of woodland, water and semi-natural habitats indicate increased

sensitivity owing to their contribution to landscape diversity, which would be reduced were they to be removed.

This criterion can also relate to the historic character of the landscape, where designated or undesignated heritage

assets – including historic field patterns – may indicate increased sensitivity to modern development.

Perceptual qualities Landscapes that are relatively tranquil tend to have increased levels of sensitivity, compared to landscapes that contain

overt signs of modern development. Development in more tranquil landscapes will introduce new and uncharacteristic

features which may detract from this characteristic, which may be especially valued close to built-up areas.

Tranquillity is affected by human activity and disturbance, including the presence of large scale built development, as

opposed to a landscape with a traditional rural feel with fewer modern human influences.

VISUAL

Skyline character and visual

prominence

Prominent and distinctive and/or undeveloped skylines, or skylines with important landmark features, are likely to be

more sensitive to development because new buildings/structures may detract from these skylines as features in the

landscape. Important landmark features on the skyline might include historic features or monuments.

Visual sensitivities and

intervisibility

Visually prominent landscapes which overlook or are overlooked by settlements or other landscapes are likely to be

more sensitive to development than those which are more hidden or less widely visible.


3 Overview of the area

Historical development

3.1 The western part of the study area, around Cummersdale, lies in

the ecclesiastical parish of St Mary Without.2 East of the River

Caldew, the study area forms part of the Parish of St Cuthbert

Without. The original parishes of St Mary and St Cuthbert were

split into „Within‟ and „Without‟ (the city walls) in 1866. The size of

both the rural parishes subsequently reduced over time as the city

expanded.

3.2 In 1092 William II invaded the then-Scottish region of Cumberland

and incorporated it into England. The forest of Inglewood was

established as a royal hunting ground between Carlisle and Penrith

at this period and special „forest law‟ applied. Not all of the „forest‟

was wooded, with tracts of arable land, moorland, and even towns

and villages included. The core of the forest was at Hesket-in-the-

Forest, Skelton and Hutton-in-the-Forest, but parts of the study

area around Blackwell fell within the northern edge of the forest.

The territory of the study area remained disputed throughout the

mediaeval period, with Border Reivers (raiders) taking advantage

of the instability to further their own advantage. Only following the

Union of the Crowns under James VI of Scotland and I of England

did relative peace and security prevail. Perhaps reflecting this

early instability, there is very little built heritage surviving intact

that dates from before the 17th century. The only surviving

defensive tower nearby is incorporated within Newbiggin Hall,

close to the M6 south of Brisco.

2 The more modern civil parish is called Cummersdale.

Newbiggin Hall (Len Williams/Geograph)

3.3 Land ownership in the study area was divided between private and

ecclesiastical proprietors. Henry I granted the manor of Blackwell,

in the western part of the area, to Odard de Logis, Baron of

Wigton. Throughout the medieval period the lands of the eastern

part of the study area belonged largely to the manor of

Botchergate, or Prior Lordship. The Augustinian cathedral priory of

Carlisle owned the manor until the Dissolution of the Monasteries


during the Reformation of the 1530s, when it was transferred to

the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral. The church also owned

lands at Cummersdale as part of the barony of Dalston.

3.4 Under the Cummersdale Moor in St Mary‟s Without Inclosure Act of

1767 and the St Cuthbert Carlisle and St Mary Carlisle

(Cumberland) Inclosure Act of 1777 the old „waste‟ and common

lands were enclosed. This was a controversial legal process,

effectively privatisation of common assets, undertaken with

Parliamentary consent by wealthier landowners to create large

privately-owned farms from small common landholdings. The

enclosure and subsequent land improvements had an enormous

impact on the character of the landscape, and indeed on the local

economy and labour market. The most significant visual impact,

still widely evident today, was the formation of long rectangular

fields set together, with straight boundaries provided by hawthorn

hedges and tree-planting. For the most part, the short sides of the

rectangular fields border the lanes and the long field boundaries

extend at 90 degrees to the lanes. It seems likely that the network

of north-south lanes, set between the major roads, was formalised

at this time (shown on John Cary‟s map of Cumberland, 1787). A

number of farmhouses and steadings also date from this period.

3.5 Two tributaries of the River Eden, the Rivers Caldew and Petteril,

meander northwards in valleys through the gently undulating

landscape. These, along with the manmade roads, lanes and

railways, form segments of a quadrant radiating outwards from

Carlisle. The very earliest map covering the study area,

Christopher Saxton‟s Map of Westmorland and Cumberland of

1576, shows settlements at Carleton, Brisco, Uprightby and Blek

Hall (Blackwell). Parts of the road network, certainly the London

Road/A6, have ancient origins, dating from Roman times. By the

late 17th century, when roads were first depicted on a map of the

county by Robert Morden (1695), the routes of the Wigton

Road/A595 (to the west of the study area), the Newbiggin Road

and London Road/A6 were shown. Two railway lines, the Lancaster

& Carlisle Railway (1844-47) and the Maryport & Carlisle Railway

(1836-45), added to the segmentation of the study area in the

19th century.

The Petteril valley looking towards Carlisle (LUC)

3.6 The parish churches, county gaol, court house and other public

buildings were located in the city centre. The entirely rural

characteristics of the parishes became eroded along their northern

boundaries as the urban development of Carlisle spread beyond

the old town walls. Water power enticed some small-scale

industrial concerns out into the countryside in the 18th century,

such as the calico works at Woodside. However, it was the advent

of the railways in the mid-19th century, and the subsequent

development of Carlisle as a major transport hub and industrial

centre that started significant incursions into the agricultural

landscape. This continued into the 20th century with the creation of

residential suburbs at Harraby, Petteril Bank, Upperby, Blackwell

Road, Currock and Newlaithes amongst other places. In the

second half of the 20th century dormitory housing spilled into some

of the surrounding countryside, mainly in ribbon developments,

such as that on Durdar Road, but large swathes of the study area

retain much of their pre-industrial agricultural character.


Landscape character

3.7 The landscape south of Carlisle comprises gently undulating

lowland farmland that rises gradually towards the fringes of the

Lakeland Fells to the south and south-west. To the east the

sandstone gorge of the River Eden lies between the study area and

the North Pennine moorlands. Closer at hand, the lowlands are

divided by shallow valleys running northward to join the Eden.

3.8 The Cumbria landscape character assessment classifies the area

south of Carlisle, as far out as Cumwhinton, Wreay and much

further to the south-west, as part of the Lowland landscape type.

This is further subdivided into five sub-types, of which three occur

within the study area, as shown in Figure 3.1:

5a Ridge and Valley;

5b Low Farmland; and

5d Urban Fringe.

3.9 The Ridge and Valley sub-type occurs to the west of the River

Caldew, including only a small part of the study area, but

extending across the wider landscape to Great Orton in the west

and Aspatria in the south-west. It is characterised as follows:

“A series of ridges and valleys that rises gently toward the

limestone fringes of the Lakeland Fells;

Well managed regular shaped medium to large pasture fields;

Hedge-bound pasture fields dominate, interspersed with native

woodland, tree clumps and plantations;

Scattered farms and linear villages found along ridges; and

Large scale structures generally scarce.”

3.10 The Low Farmland sub-type includes the majority of the study

area, and extends south to Buckabank and Wreay, and eastwards

to Cumwhinton. The key characteristics of this sub-type are:

“Undulating and rolling topography;

Intensely farmed agricultural pasture dominates;

Patchy areas of woodland provide contrast to the pasture;

Woodland is uncommon west towards the coast;

Fields are large and rectangular; and

Hedges, hedgerow trees and fences bound fields and criss-

cross up and over the rolling landscape.”

3.11 The Urban Fringe sub-type occurs in a narrow band around the

edge of Carlisle, including the northern part of the study area.

This area includes the villages of Cummersdale and Carleton, as

well as Carlisle Racecourse. The key characteristics of this sub-

type are:

“Long term urban influences on agricultural land;

Recreation, large scale buildings and industrial estates are

common;

Mining and opencast coal workings are found around Keekle

and Moor Row; and

Wooded valleys, restored woodland and some semi-urbanised

woodland provide interest.”

3.12 The Carlisle Landscape Character Guidance and Toolkit provides

further details on the features and characteristics of these

landscape sub-types, including a summary of sensitive features,

and a range of guidelines aimed at conserving, restoring and

enhancing these landscapes. Although carried out at a broad

scale, the principles of the guidance have been followed through to

the more site-specific findings of the present study.


Figure 3.1 Landscape character types


4 Character area 1

4.1 This area is located west of the River Caldew and is shown in

Figure 4.1. The study area boundary follows the B5299 Dalston

Road, and excludes the settlement of Cummersdale. However, the

character of this area extends across these boundaries, and is also

influenced by the presence of the Pirelli factory and the urban

edge to the north.

Evolution of the landscape

Known features

4.2 This character area has a rich and complex historic environment,

with a number of ploughed-down archaeological features

recognised from aerial photography – resulting in high

archaeological potential. These include:

Cropmark enclosure and additional features to northeast of

High Brownelson; stray finds of late Neolithic / early Bronze

Age and Romano-British dates.

Putative Roman double-ditched enclosure/fort underlying High

Cummersdale and extending into fields to the south.

Excavations between 1996-9 revealed two distinct phases of

occupation, and extensive damage as consequence of modern

deep ploughing.

A short sequence of use, suggested by a lack of material

culture evidence, and a late first/early second century AD date

– pre-dating the construction of both the fort in Carlisle itself

and Hadrian‟s Wall – is proposed, and may be supported by

fieldwalking finds of early second century Samian sherds.

Sub-rectangular enclosed farmstead identified from aerial

photography and investigated in 1997 – interpreted as being of

fourth century date.

Stray finds of prehistoric lithics and medieval pottery on

eastern slopes.

Extant landscape

4.3 Much of the extant landscape of the character area relates to the

18th century enclosure of former common land3 to the south of

High Cummersdale – the much-altered farmstead at the centre of

the current village. This event transformed the character of the

landscape, from medieval open fields and „wastes‟ to large

rectilinear fields. Some of the original boundaries, visible on

historical mapping, have been lost, abstracting the original

pattern.

4.4 The northwest corner of the character area is comprised of

planned enclosures, with later subdivision and addition of

individual dwellings. This area has a strong and regular landscape

structure, with intact hedgerows and field trees.

Designated assets

4.5 Three listed buildings in Cummersdale, see below.

3 Cummersdale Moor in St Mary‟s Without Inclosure Act of 1767


Figure 4.1 Character Area 1


Landscape character

4.6 Key characteristics of this area:

Gently undulating land that rises to a high point of 74m at

High Brownelson, a relatively pronounced hill in the wider

context;

Bounded to the south and east by the shallow incised Caldew

valley (see character area 2);

Strongly rectilinear field pattern in the west, defined by a

series of access tracks running perpendicular to the long

straight of the B5299, and reinforced by field boundary trees;

More irregular fields in the east, with occasional shelterbelts

linking to the woodlands that emphasise the edge of the

Caldew valley, including established broadleaf woodland;

Little natural landcover, though generally intact hedges with

trees form a habitat network linking to the Caldew corridor;

Occasional clumps of trees, with larger plantation blocks west

of the B5299;

Woodland forms a screen to the Pirelli factory, though the

buildings and chimneys are a visual presence in the north of

the area;

Cummersdale presents an abrupt boundary of garden fences,

though with mature vegetation and trees to soften the

settlement edge;

Limited road access through the area to the Caldew, other

than via Cummersdale, contrasting with the busy nature of the

B5299 Dalston Road;

Individual dwellings located primarily along the B5299, with

urban development ongoing to the north-west;

Rights of way linking the B5299, Cummersdale and the Calder

valley;

Views from higher ground over the Caldew to the distant North

Pennines – long views from the B5299 look north to Dixon‟s

Chimney and south to the Lakeland Fells; and

Away from the B5299 this is an undeveloped rural landscape,

though the Pirelli factory and the village of Cummersdale

influence the level of tranquillity in the north.

4.7 Further detail can be found in the landscape survey sheet in

Appendix 1.


Views from Brownelson towards the Racecourse (LUC) Rectangular fields with new development across Dalston Road

(LUC)

Glimpses of the Pirelli factory (LUC) Rolling farmland south of Cummersdale (LUC)


Townscape Character: Cummersdale

Designated assets

4.8 Three listed buildings, all Grade II (see Figure 4.2):

Spinners Arms;

Cummersdale House; and

Caldew Bank.

Development of the settlement

4.9 Cummersdale is located to the west of the River Caldew and within

the old parish of St Mary Without. Traditionally there were two

centres: High and Low Cummersdale (beside the river). Thomas

Denton ascribed the name to „one Cumber, the first inhabitant

there‟.

4.10 Its position beside the fast-flowing river was ideal for exploitation

of water power. A corn and fulling (cloth cleansing) mill is recorded

here in the Bishops‟ Registers for 1268. Larger-scale industrial

enterprises arrived in the 18th century, including a dye works

(1782) and a cotton mill. A calico print works followed further

downstream in 1801. When the Maryport & Carlisle Railway was

constructed in 1836-45, a small branch and halt were incorporated

to serve the mills. In 1821 the population of the township of

Cummersdale was 512 people, spread between 67 houses. A

school was built beside the cotton mill. In 1905 Stead McAlpin took

over the printworks buildings for their fabric printing business,

which continues to this day. By the 1920s there were some 44

back-to-back workers‟ houses in Low Cummersdale.

4.11 High Cummersdale was just a farm and cottages before the arrival

of industry in the lower village in the 1780s. Terraced workers‟

houses were built here to supplement those in the lower village.

Larger villas followed, such as Cummersdale House (1864), Criffel

View and Sunnymead (1898), Mount View and Garthside (1900),

presumably for mill managers. More civic buildings were

constructed in the 1880s: the school and schoolhouse (1884) and

the Village House (1886). Like the Black Lion at Durdar, the

Spinners‟ Arms in Cummersdale was a State Management Scheme

pub, designed in Arts and Crafts style by Harry Redfern in 1929.

Further housing was built between the Wars in Margery Terrace,

The Crescent, Gilbert Road and Caldew Road, and immediately

after the Second World War The Oval Houses were built in 1948.

4.12 Views out from the hamlet of Cummersdale remain to open

countryside on the south, east and west, but to the north, the

construction of the Pirelli tyre factory in 1968 created a major

intervention in the rural landscape.

4.13 Key characteristics:

Agricultural core of High Cummersdale;

Victorian civic buildings; and

Association with the print works at Low Cummersdale.


Figure 4.2 Cummersdale


Spinners Arms (Nick Haynes) Cummersdale school (Nick Haynes)

Village core (Nick Haynes) Approach to the village from the west (Nick Haynes)


Sensitivity

4.14 Key sensitivities to new settlement in this landscape:

Relative tranquillity away from the busy B5299, with its

associated scattered houses and new urban development,

emphasised by the lack of through roads;

Strong field boundary patterns, particularly the rectilinear

pattern around the B5299, which could be interrupted by

development;

Physical and functional relationship with the Caldew valley to

the south and east, including woodland and hedgerow forming

habitat networks;

The woodland around the Pirelli factory, and the village of

Cummersdale, together provide a firm southern boundary to

the settlement in this area;

Long outward views to the Lakeland Fells, North Pennines and

Dixon‟s Chimney, where topography and vegetation allow;

High archaeological potential on the southern edge of the

village; and

Visual relationship with the Caldew valley, with this area

forming the skyline in views from the riverside.

Guidelines

4.15 Figure 4.3 illustrates key guidelines, with reference to target

points (1.1–1.6) below.

4.16 Between Brownelson and Cummersdale this is not a prominent

landscape, or one that is overlooked from a large number of

locations. However, it is relatively small in scale and provides a

buffer between the existing and planned settlement edge, and the

River Caldew. Development in this area is likely to be read as an

extension to Cummersdale (1.1). The high archaeological

potential of this area, and the area to the south of Cummersdale in

particular, is a further constraint to development here. It would

be desirable to retain and potentially strengthen the woodland

screening in place to the south of the Pirelli factory (1.2).

4.17 Alternatively, if development were sited along the B5299 (1.3), it

would appear as an extension to Carlisle itself. Combined with the

development underway on the west side of this road, this would

lead to the extension of urban character along the Dalston Road.

4.18 It is likely that the proposed link road will pass through this area,

in order to connect with the A689 to the west (1.4). Should the

new road follow the alignment of Peter Lane, a large new junction

would be created where this route meets the B5299 (1.5). In this

case, the development of the area between the new road and

Cummersdale Road (1.3) could be justified on landscape and

visual grounds, although it would form an extension to existing

and planned development across the Dalston Road. Care would

need to be taken to maintain the separate identity of

Cummersdale (1.1).

4.19 Under any of these scenarios, it would be difficult to ensure that

development in this location was sufficiently distinct from the

existing and emerging urban character across the Dalston Road.

While some development may be accommodated in this area, it

would be necessarily small in scale.

4.20 This area can provide important green links between the existing

settlement to the north, and the green corridor of the Caldew

valley (1.6), via the village of Cummersdale. Existing footpaths

should be maintained and enhanced to enable access for residents

towards the more tranquil locations in the valley. Whether or not

development takes place, opportunities should be sought to

enhance hedges and woodland cover in this area, particularly

where this can provide habitat links to the Caldew woodlands.


Figure 4.3 Key Guidelines (character area 1)


5 Character area 2

5.1 This area comprises the valley of the River Caldew, which flows

north to south through the western part of the study area. The

character area extends south from the urban boundary at Denton

Holme, past Cummersdale towards the village of Dalston. It is

shown in Figure 5.1.


5.2 This character area is tightly defined by the floodplain and river

terraces of the River Caldew. The dynamism of this environment

throughout history has had a strong influence on the nature and

character of its heritage.

5.3 It has moderate archaeological potential, relating principally to

industrial structures. Archaeology on the floodplain is likely to

have been altered / truncated by channel movements – but could

equally have been inundated by fluvial deposits.

Known features

5.4 Calico printing was established in Carlisle in 1761 and, by the turn

of the century, grew to be the dominant local industry with five

main companies employing significant numbers of people.

Cummersdale was one of the key centres of this industry, with a

complex of mills, dye and printworks drawing power from the

Caldew.

5.5 The Cummersdale Printworks, reopened and extended by Stead

and McAlpin in 1835, is located just outside the character area. A

system of weirs and mill races drew water from the Caldew and

connected the now-demolished dye works and mill complex. Much

of this water management infrastructure has been lost as a

consequence of the demolition and levelling of the mill and

dyeworks sites. A railway station, located to the south of the

textiles complex on the Carlisle-Maryport line, has also been lost.

5.6 To the north of the extant printworks, the floodplain is dominated

by regular planned enclosures – once used as bleachfields in the

summer months. Animal dung and urine were used in the

bleaching process, along with river water and sunlight, prior to the

industrial manufacture of chlorine-based bleaches.

5.7 Historical mapping reveals the extent to which the channel of the

Caldew has evolved since the 19th century, partially erasing traces

of extensive late 19th century rifle ranges located on the flat

floodplain.

Extant landscape

5.8 The character of the area is largely formed by a pattern of

irregular enclosures spanning the floodplain and river terraces of

the Caldew Valley. The rectilinear planned enclosures of the former

bleachfield provide a marked contrast to the more organic

boundaries of the older pattern of enclosures across the rest of the

character area. The area is bisected by the railway line.

Designated assets

5.9 Holme Head Conservation Area, including six listed buildings at

Holme Head works (all grade II).

5.10 Dalston Road Cemetery Registered Park and Garden, grade II,

includes seven listed buildings, including a grade II* listed

monument (others grade II).

5.11 Grade II listed Currock House on Lund Crescent.


Figure 5.1 Character area 2


Landscape character


The River Caldew meanders through a shallow valley contained

by often steeply sloping valley sides, opening out to a wider

floodplain in the north;

The modest river follows a gently sinuous course forming

pools, riffles and gravel bars, with visible evidence of river

terraces, former river channels and dried-up oxbow lakes;

A series of small tributary becks enter the Caldew from the

east, flowing through incised gullies providing pockets of

topographical variety along the valley sides;

In the south of the area, landcover comprises a mix of riparian

woodland, grassland, mature woodland, and areas of open

river banks covered with semi-mature trees and scrub;

Further north, the wide floodplain is divided into large regular

fields of improved pasture by neat hedges, though the more

naturalistic landcover continues through the open space to the

west of the river;

Significant areas of mature deciduous woodland along the

steeper valley sides, as well as a concentration of riparian

woodland around the print works;

The most extensive areas of woodland and semi-natural land

cover in the study area, with the Caldew forming part of the

River Eden SSSI and Special Area of Conservation;

The Cumbria Coast railway line follows the river, with

embankments crossing the floodplain and several stone-built

underbridges;

Visible industrial heritage including the prominent 19th-century

buildings of the former Holme Head Works, the brick chimney

at Cummersdale Print Works, and weirs and mill lades;

Only a small number of dwellings lie within this area, including

Blackwell Hall Farm prominently sited on the east valley side;

Overt modern structures are infrequent, though the print

works and Pirelli factory are visible in the north, and a large

railway footbridge is a prominent feature – much further south

a twin row of pylons cross the valley;

No roads run through the valley, and there are no road

crossings of the river, contributing to a sense of tranquillity

that is emphasised by the enclosed wooded landscape;

For walkers and cyclists it is a more accessible area, forming a

green corridor for the Cumbria Way long-distance route and

local footpaths connecting Denton Holme with Cummersdale,

Blackwell and Dalston;

A visually contained area, the southern part is particularly

enclosed with an intimate and secluded character, and offers

the most tranquil landscape of the study area; and

The open floodplain north of Blackwell is overlooked from the

settlement edge, with views across this area to Denton Holme

and the print works, and an urban fringe character is locally

present.


Appendix 1.


View over the southern Caldew valley (LUC) Footbridge near the print works (LUC)

Railway bridges (LUC) Denton Holme weir and restored works (LUC)


Sensitivity


Linear corridor offers important green infrastructure linking

central Carlisle with the countryside and Dalston, serving

wildlife and people;

Enclosed, intimate scale vulnerable to large-scale

development, with a high level of tranquillity due to the lack of

road access;

Semi-natural landscape south of Cummersdale, with a high

level of woodland cover;

Important industrial heritage adjacent to the character area;

and

Valued public open space in the north, with several walking

and cycling routes through the area.

Guidelines


points (2.1-2.5) below.

5.16 The Caldew valley provides a green corridor (2.1) through the

study area in which large-scale development is unlikely to be

appropriate. As part of any new settlement, the Caldew valley can

be considered ready-made green infrastructure, with high

recreation and biodiversity value already in place. This can form

the foundation for improved functional green links to the wider

area.

5.17 The semi-natural woodlands in the south of the area (2.2) should

be retained as far as possible, and extended north along the

Caldew as appropriate. Hedge and tree planting in this northern

area should be encouraged. In the longer term, should the

intensive pastoral farming in the north part of the valley (2.3)

become uneconomic, an open space or nature reserve would be a

more suitable use of this area than development, particularly given

flooding constraints. However, the present use is fully compatible

with the area‟s green infrastructure function.

5.18 Existing footpaths in the north provide circular routes that can be

accessed from residential areas in the south of Carlisle and from

Blackwell and Cummersdale. Further south, there are good links

along both sides of the valley, with paths connecting to the

adjacent farmland. The provision of a further footbridge upstream

from Cummersdale, perhaps in the Dalston Hall area (2.4), would

allow more flexibility and circular routes in this area.

5.19 It will be necessary for the new link road to cross over the Caldew

at some point. The crossing location should be chosen to minimise

impacts on woodland and on the more tranquil sections of the

valley. Interpretation of the industrial heritage of the Caldew

would enhance the experience and time depth of this landscape,

particularly the area formerly occupied by Low Cummersdale

(2.5), and the long history of textile printing in the area.


6 Character area 3

6.1 This character area, shown in Figure 6.1, includes the farmland

east of the Caldew valley, together with the villages of Blackwell

and Durdar, and Carlisle Racecourse. It extends from the urban

edge around Upperby, southwards beyond the study area

boundary south of Newbiggin Road.


Known features

6.2 Aerial photography has identified a number of features within the

character area. These include extensive prehistoric/Romano-

British cropmarks.

6.3 A medieval deer park, centred on Blackhall Wood just outside the

study area, is recorded in the Cumbria Historic Landscape

Characterisation (HLC) – although scant remains appear to be

visible on the ground. Outside the northwest circuit of the modern

racecourse, a medieval settlement and associated cultivation

remains are preserved. While all structural remains appear to

have been robbed out, patterns of ridge and furrow4 are clearly

visible on the ground, and show particularly clearly on aerial

photography. (This extends within the racecourse, but in a much-

reduced state.)

6.4 The archaeological potential of the character area is assessed as

being moderate-high due to the presence of known cropmark

features, extant medieval archaeology and a number of find-spots

in the vicinity.

4 A series of long, raised ridges – separated by ditches – used to prepare the ground for arable

cultivation; characteristic of pre-modern agriculture and the use of single-side mould-board

ploughs. Forms vary with date, but the sinuous „reverse-S‟ forms often preserved in field boundaries are generally medieval / post-medieval.

Extant landscape

6.5 The field pattern of the character area is divided into three broad

types. The bulk of the area comprises ancient (i.e. pre-18th

century) enclosures. These create a distinctive, intricate

landscape structure, with intact hedgerows and field trees

contributing to the sense of time-depth.

6.6 To the east of Blackwell, the enclosure boundaries suggest traces

of medieval/post-medieval open field systems, with some relict

cultivation ridges faintly visible on aerial photographs. To the north

of Blackwell, the HLC suggests that an area of former common

land was enclosed during the 18th century. However, examination

of the 1st edition of the Ordnance Survey six-inch map suggests an

older origin, as the mapped boundaries are markedly less regular

than neighbouring areas of Parliamentary enclosures. However,

modern reorganisation / amalgamation of fields has largely

obscured the original pattern.

6.7 In stark contrast, the area around Durdar is dominated by small,

rigidly-planned 18-19th century fields (possibly relating to

smallholdings) and plantation woodland. Durdar was originally

little more than a smithy and inn located on the crossroads to

serve travellers passing through. (The original Black Lion Inn has

since been converted to a dwelling, with the name transferred to

the purpose-built early 20th century Arts and Crafts-style pub

opposite.)

Designated assets

6.8 Two listed buildings in Blackwell, see below.

6.9 Two further listed buildings (grade II): Blackhall Wood Farmhouse

and barn; and Green Cottage/Millstone Cottage.


Landscape character


Gently undulating land, sloping gently down to north and west

from more elevated land south of Durdar at Burthwaite Hill;

To the west the land falls away to the shallow incised valley of

the River Caldew (see area 2) and to the north is a more

gradual slope down towards the edge of Carlisle;

The incised courses of two small streams provide slight

topographical variation in the west of the area;

Large, semi-regular arable fields, with hedges and some

hedgerow trees and some distinctive lines of mature trees and

shelterbelts;

Smaller, elongated rectangular fields of pasture are located

adjacent to the settlement edge of Durdar, and tend to be

enclosed by more continuous hedgerows with more trees;

Woodlands include the rectangular blocks of Cat Wood and

Tarn Wood near Durdar, and Toddhills Wood that provides a

link between the racecourse and the Caldew;

An intensively farmed area, with limited habitat though with

important connections to native broadleaf woodland in the

Caldew valley;

Limited time depth in the landscape, deriving from localised

patterns of narrow fields, and occasional stone gate posts, and

from the remnant rural settlement of Blackwell;

More developed than any other part of the study area, Durdar

Road provides a spine for a series of linear developments

including the villages of Blackwell and Durdar;

The rural character of „old‟ Blackwell is subsumed by the

suburban character of houses along Durdar Road which, like

the housing in Durdar, does not relate strongly to the rural

setting;

The racecourse includes a number of larger buildings including

a modern grandstand which is the tallest building in the area

and forms a key local landmark, while the white fencing and

extensive car parks extend the influence of the racecourse into

the wider landscape;

Durdar Road and Newbiggin Road are busy routes through this

area, in contrast with the quieter, narrower Scalegate Road;

Few public rights of way serve Durdar, though there are links

to the Caldew corridor in the west part of this area, and a key

link from Cummersdale through Blackwell to Upperby;

Occasional longer distance views, mainly from the edges of

this plateau area, looking east to the North Pennines; north

over Carlisle towards Scotland; and glimpses south-west to the

Lakeland Fells; and

A more open and exposed landscape in the north, where trees

are fewer, while the south-west has the most rural character in

this area, though the level of development limits tranquillity

across this character area.


Appendix 1.


Open landscape at Floshes (LUC) Suburban edge of Blackwell (LUC)

Field pattern east of Durdar (LUC) Landmark grandstand building (LUC)


Townscape character: Blackwell

Designated assets

6.12 Two listed buildings, both Grade II (see Figure 6.2):

Blackwell House and Stables (1730s-40s farmhouse and

stables); and

Blackwell Farm (early 18th century).


6.13 The name Blackwell, or „Blackhall‟, „Blackhill‟, „Blackhell‟ as it is

variously called, is said to be derived from being a black heathy

district of Inglewood forest. It is pronounced „Bleckell‟. The hamlet

of Blackwell, or Blackhall Low, is now attached to the city of

Carlisle by ribbon development along the Durdar Road and lends

its name to developments further south including the racecourse

and housing at Lowmoor on the east side of Durdar Road. The

ancient triangular-shaped Blackwell Common still survives to the

south-east of the historic hamlet.

6.14 The layout of the historic hamlet is more nucleated than its

neighbours at Brisco and Carleton, with farm buildings and

workers‟ housing clustered around an island site at the junction of

Durdar Road and Lowry Street. The name „Blek hall‟ is present on

Saxton‟s map of 1576, but nothing of that date is now identifiable

in the hamlet. Two big farm complexes and associated

farmworkers‟ housing dominate the grouping: Blackwell House and

Blackwell Farm.

6.15 Blackwell House is thought to date from the 1730s, possibly

incorporating earlier work. Both Rebel and Crown forces used the

building as a headquarters during the two sieges of Carlisle in

1745. Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed at the house on 10 November

1745 and his nemesis, the Duke of Cumberland, stayed between

the 21 and 31 December of the same year. A stable range adjoins

the house and a large brick 19th-century steading is sited opposite.

On the north side of Lowry Street the other farm, Blackwell Farm,

is of a similar date. A further old farm, Blackwell Hall, is located to

the west of the hamlet above the River Caldew.

6.16 The White Ox Inn has long been a distinctive feature of the hamlet

on the corner of Lowry Street and Durdar Road. The old inn was

demolished in 1904 and the current building constructed. It is now

in domestic use.

6.17 Blackwell Racecourse opened in June 1904 after the transfer of

racing from the Swifts site and construction of a grandstand. A

new grandstand was built in the mid-1960s, and this in turn was

replaced with the Jubilee Grandstand in 2002.

6.18 The linear layout on the east side of Durdar Road at Lowmoor

appears to comprise largely inter- and post-War houses, with only

209 and 223 Durdar Road dating from the 19th century.

6.19 A large greenfield site to the east of the hamlet, bounded by

Hammond‟s Pond, Oaklands Drive and Durdar Road, has consent

for development of 318 dwellings, which are currently under

construction.


Agricultural character and origins of main townscape

components – Blackwell Farm and Blackwell House;

Ribbon development along Durdar Road.


Durdar Road, Blackwell (Nick Haynes) Stockwell Road, Blackwell (LUC)

Blackwell, near the racecourse (LUC) Blackwell House and Stables (LUC)


Figure 6.2 Blackwell


Townscape character: Durdar

Designated assets

6.21 No designated heritage assets (see Figure 6.3).


6.22 Durdar formed part of the wider Blackwell, or Blackhall High,

township. The township covered Durdar, Ratten-Raw, High and

Low Burthwaite, and the surrounding area. In 1821 the township

comprised 283 people in 41 houses. The hamlet at Durdar began

as a very small 18th-century settlement of an inn (south-west

corner) and a smithy (north-west corner) to service travellers at

the crossroads of the Newbiggin and Durdar (to Penrith) Roads.

Both buildings survive as houses in altered forms, and the „Black

Lion‟ name has transferred to the purpose-built pub on the north-

east corner of the crossroads.

6.23 The area to the east of the crossroads was in use as tree

plantations throughout the 19th century, but only two small strips

now remain in that use. Later 20th-century suburban bungalows

and 2-storey houses spread along the Newbiggin and Durdar

Roads and in two cul-de-sacs at Cawflands and The Willows.

6.24 The Black Lion was one of 14 New Model Inns built in the Carlisle

area. Many pubs in Carlisle were shut down in 1916 to curb the

city‟s drinking enthusiasm and civil servants were installed to

manage those that remained under the State Management

Scheme. New buildings attempted to change the drinking den

culture to more of a café culture by providing large, undivided

bright and airy interiors, homelike furnishings and waiters to

serve. The Black Lion was designed in an Arts and Crafts style by

Harry Redfern in 1929 along the lines promoted by the Central

Control Board.


Durdar cross-roads: former inn and smithy;

Suburban cul-de-sacs.

Durdar Road (Nick Haynes) Older houses at the crossroads (Nick Haynes)


Figure 6.3 Durdar


Sensitivity


Relatively elevated, with occasional feeling of exposure though

this is in part due to the largely open nature of the landscape;

Woodland cover is limited, so the remaining field trees and

shelterbelts are of value, particularly in the west where they

include mature broadleaf woodland and connect to the Caldew

valley;

More distinctive areas include the strongly rectilinear field

pattern east of Durdar, extending across Scalegate Road, with

intact lines of mature trees in hedgerows; and

Long views across the open landscape that take in the North

Pennine skyline, landmarks of Carlisle in the north, and the

Lakeland Fells to the south.

Guidelines



6.28 This area is the most developed part of the study area, taking in

the racecourse as well as the linear development along Durdar

Road. The wider landscape of this area is open and large in scale,

and generally of lower sensitivity. It is therefore suggested that

this area could form the focus for new development in the Carlisle

South area.

6.29 Existing woodland features in the area, including intact field

boundaries and some mature native broadleaf woodland, form the

beginning of a landscape structure with links to the Caldew valley

(3.1). Developing this landscape structure with new planting

would assist in providing a green network across the area,

enabling movement of both wildlife and people.

6.30 New buildings in this area could help to integrate existing

development into the landscape. The housing areas are not well

integrated into the surrounding farmland, being linear

developments lacking focal points, and with rear gardens generally

forming the edges of the settlement areas. New development

offers opportunity to create a more positive interface between

residential areas and the surrounding farmland, with transitional

zones that provide green infrastructure and enhance both

development and the remaining countryside.

6.31 Similarly, new development that responds to the racecourse

buildings could help to integrate this somewhat isolated series of

structures into the surrounding landscape, for example by

reducing the relative prominence of the main grandstand (3.2).

6.32 New development will ideally retain separation from the main

settlement of Carlisle, and the resulting open space could be linked

to the park at Upperby as well as the Caldew to the west (3.3).

The retention of open space should be designed to take advantage

of the wide views to distant skylines.

6.33 To the north of the racecourse, any development would be visible

across the Caldew valley to the north and west, and would

approach the more historic layout of Blackwell village (3.4). This

is also an area identified as having higher archaeological potential.

6.34 The route chosen for the proposed link road will have an influence

on the location and extent of development, while Durdar Road

(3.5) is likely to remain a key north-south link route. The quieter

character of Scalegate Road (3.6) would ideally be retained as far

as possible.


7 Character area 4

7.1 This area, shown in Figure 7.1, includes the farmland west of the

River Petteril, and includes the village of Brisco. It extends from

the urban edge of Carlisle, southwards beyond the study area

boundary south of Newbiggin Road, and towards the M6. The

minor road provides a boundary with the more settled farmland to

the west, but does not demarcate a clear change in character at

this location.


Known features

7.2 This character area is centred on the hamlet of Brisco, clustered

around the 17th century Brisco Hall. The settlement itself has a

varied, but historic, character with a real mix of buildings ranging

from the Hall, a fine Georgian farmhouse (Brisco Farm) and a

thatched cottage of uncertain antiquity, to 1930s bungalows.

7.3 The archaeological potential of the character area is moderate-

high, particularly given the presence of undated enclosures to the

west of the settlement – recognised from aerial photography. In

the former parkland areas, potential is also likely to be high as the

land has been subject to less intensive agriculture.

Extant landscape

7.4 The settlement is set within a pattern of characteristic post-

medieval „reverse-S‟5 open fields, subsequently fossilised within

the pattern of enclosure boundaries. While later amalgamation

and reorganisation of boundaries has eroded the strength of the

original pattern, it is still readily appreciable and plays an

5 As described above, medieval/post-medieval open fields often demonstrate a characteristic

„reverse-S‟ shape, often preserving patterns of ridge and furrow, created by the practical

difficulties of turning the standard team of eight oxen with a fixed, one-sided mould-board plough.

important role in the setting of the hamlet. There are a few areas

of surviving – but much-reduced – ridge-and-furrow that

contribute to this sense of time-depth. At the southern end of the

hamlet, Brisco Common – a 1.6ha area of amenity greenspace – is

all that remains of the common land that would originally have

surrounded the settlement.

7.5 The southeast of the character area contains the northern

extremity („North Park‟) of the parkland associated with the partly-

demolished Woodside House, the site of which is just outside the

study area to the south. The pre-enclosure field pattern and

designed landscape features are preserved as low earthworks,

visible on aerial photography. (The area between Woodside and

Newbiggin Hall contains well-preserved medieval field systems –

reflecting the removal of the area from cultivation during the early

modern period, lying within the core parkland area.)

7.6 To the south of Brisco itself, the small designed landscape

associated with Brisco Hill (18th century mansion) is a substantial

presence to the north of the road. A lodge and modest gate piers

mark the entrance, with mature estate woodland delineating the

extent of the designed landscape.

Designated assets

7.7 Six listed buildings in Brisco (see below).

7.8 Grade II listed Brookside and Cammock House (early 19th-century

cotton workers‟ cottages) on Brisco Road.

7.9 Grade II listed late 19th-century Woodside Lodge, stable block and

gate piers, south of Newbiggin Road.


Landscape character


Generally sloping down to the north and east towards Carlisle

and the Petteril valley, from a high point at Burthwaite Hill to

the south;

Small incised valley of the Cammock Beck runs through the

north of the parcel providing localised variation in topography,

and framing the ridge on which Brisco sits;

Open farmland, primarily under arable cultivation but with

occasional smaller fields of pasture;

Relatively simple field pattern comprising large and moderately

sized fields of regular form, though with remnants of strip-field

patterns around Brisco;

The flatter area around Newbiggin Road and Oakland House

has a strongly rectilinear pattern that extends west towards

Durdar;

Intactness of field boundary hedges varies significantly, with

the most continuous sections, as well as the most numerous

field boundary trees, in the area around Brisco;

A significant number of mature field trees, as well as clumps of

woodland around farms and houses, also contribute to the

well-established character around Brisco, which continues

south to the remnant designed landscape associated with

Newbiggin Hall;

Generally intensively farmed, with limited patches of semi-

improved grassland, and regenerating scrub in the north by

the Petteril, as well as some extensive private gardens;

Two minor roads radiate out from Upperby, one passing

through Brisco and another further west, which continue south

to the villages of Wreay and Burthwaite respectively – the long

straight of Newbiggin Road links these in the south;

Although extensive, the Lough Farm equestrian centre and the

former brickworks east of Brisco are not prominent in the

landscape;

Little public access, with only two footpaths that both run from

Brisco Road to the Petteril;

Views from the elevated ridge around Brisco Hill look eastward

across the Petteril to the North Pennines, as well as westward

towards the racecourse buildings; and

Panoramic views are available from the high point on Brisco

Road, looking north across Carlisle towards Scotland; east to

the North Pennines; and south-west to the Lakeland Fells.


Appendix 1.


View of Brisco from Burthwaite Hill (LUC) Scalegate Road (LUC)

Wooded farmland near Brisco (LUC) View north over Carlisle (LUC)


Brisco Farmhouse (Nick Haynes) Wooden Walls, Brisco (Nick Haynes)

Brisco Manor (LUC) 1930s houses (LUC)


Townscape character: Brisco

Designated assets

7.12 Six listed buildings, all Grade II (see Figure 7.2):

Brisco Farmhouse (early 19th century);

Brisco Hall (1610 farmhouse);

Brisco Hill (late 18th-century mansion);

Langarth (1830s house);

St Ninian‟s Well (1830s-40s wellhead);

Wooden Walls (1681 house); and


7.13 Brisco is another linear hamlet, spread sporadically along the

Brisco Road. Anciently it was known by various corruptions of

„birk-scogh‟ (birch-wood), including Birksceugh, Bryrkehawe,

Birschawe, Birkscagh and Brischawe. Like Carleton, it formed part

of the manor of Botchergate. Denton records that there were three

large tenancies of good land in the late 1680s, but the common

land was „exceeding barren‟ and contained an ancient horsecourse.

Relics of this 17th-century prosperity survive in Brisco Hall, a

farmhouse dating back to 1610 and Wooden Walls, a house of

1681. By 1821 the wider township as a whole had a population of

308 people, divided between 60 houses, and included eight

farmers, two blacksmiths, a tailor, shoemaker, pub-keeper and

joiner & cabinetmaker.

7.14 The hamlet itself now contains quite a mixture of buildings. On the

approach to the hamlet from the south, the road passes the

ancient common and Croft Farm on the left. Opposite is a mixture

of altered 19th-century farmworkers‟ houses, a semi-detached pair

of flat-roofed 1930s houses and a recent house. Proceeding north,

there are no buildings on the left, but 20th century bungalows and

cottages on the right before another nucleated group around

Brisco Farm and Brisco Hall. A final group of buildings clusters at

Wooden Walls, dated 1681, and The Cottage, a thatched cottage

of apparently some antiquity.

7.15 The dispersed township of Brisco extended north and south to

include the old calico print works at Woodbank (converted to an

engine works in 1846 and now demolished), Brisco Station

(converted) and the country houses at Brisco Hill, Newbiggin Hall

and Woodside (the latter two outside the study area). Remnants of

a small designed landscape at Woodside, established and

cultivated by generations of the Losh family, extend into the study

area.


Strong historic core formed by Brisco Hall and its associated

farmsteading, and the Georgian farmhouse of Brisco Farm.

Brisco Common is an important, if modest, feature.


Figure 7.2 Brisco


Sensitivity


Traditional character of Brisco containing several buildings of

historic and architectural interest;

Parkland character of the landscape around Brisco, which

extends south across Brisco Hill to the designed landscape at

Newbiggin and Woodside;

Limited tree cover in this area increases the value of the

remaining small woodlands and mature trees;

Small-scale character of the Cammock Beck valley, with

occasional riparian vegetation;

Visual prominence of the high ground south of Upperby,

forming the local skyline as seen from Carlisle; and

Availability of panoramic views to the North Pennines and

Lakeland Fells, from the ridge around Brisco and from the high

ground near the settlement edge.

Guidelines



7.19 The well preserved medieval field patterns and parkland character

of the area around Brisco are distinctive features of the area (4.1).

The traditional character of the village (4.2) will be sensitive to

large scale change, and should not form a focus for new

settlement. Development in this area will necessarily be small in

scale so as not to detract from the rural nature of the area. Any

in-fill development would need to be of the highest quality,

preserving extant patterns in the settlement/historic landscape,

avoiding harm to the setting of designated heritage assets and

making a positive contribution to the character of the hamlet.

Form, massing and height of buildings, along with material choice

and orientation to the road, will be important considerations.

7.20 The long views from this area, particularly from the ridge around

Brisco (4.3) and the high ground in the north (4.4), should also be

retained as part of any development, and new access could be

developed to maximise availability of these views. This could form

part of an east-west area of open space or other green

infrastructure link along the settlement edge, as outlined under

area 3 to the west, and would provide onward connection to the

Petteril valley.

7.21 The area to the west, closer to Scalegate Road and Newbiggin

Road, west of the Cammock Beck, is of lower sensitivity in

landscape and townscape terms, and development here could

relate to the thoroughfare of Newbiggin Road (4.5).


8 Character area 5

8.1 This area includes the valley of the River Petteril, which runs

south-east to north-west through the study area. The character

area, shown in Figure 8.1, extends from the green corridor around

Upperby Bridge, past Carleton and the M6 Junction, towards

Wreay Woods outside the study area boundary.


Known features

8.2 This character area is composed largely of the floodplain of the

River Petteril. From a review of historic mapping, the river

channel appears to have evolved during the 20th century,

suggesting likely dynamism through history. This is clearly visible

in the current landscape as a large number of fossil channels and a

partial oxbow lake. This is likely to have both truncated

archaeological remains through direct erosion and, potentially,

buried features through deposition of sediment on the washlands.

(Online aerial photography from October 2015 illustrates the

extent to which this character area acts as functional floodplain,

helping to attenuate the effects of floodwaters on downstream

areas of Carlisle.)

8.3 The main archaeological feature in the character area is the site of

the 19th century Woodbank Ironworks. While the building complex

depicted on the 1899 revision of the 1st edition of the Ordnance

Survey six-inch map (noted as disused) had been demolished by

the 1920s (absent from the 3rd edition, 1925), an extensive series

of low earthworks corresponding closely with the mapped evidence

are visible. This includes the route of the mill race connecting the

works with the River Petteril, a flood bank erected presumably to

protect the works from inundation, and building stances and

enclosures, visible on aerial photographs as parchmarks.

8.4 A former mill, depicted on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey

six-inch map as a sawmill, straddles the boundary between this

character area and Character Area 6 on the southern edge of

Carleton. The mill building has been converted to a dwelling, but

the remains of the leat connecting the mill to the Petteril survives.

8.5 The archaeological potential of the character area is assessed as

being moderate.

Extant landscape

8.6 The landscape is comprised mainly of comparatively late

Parliamentary enclosures, but the field pattern does not preserve

much of the previous open field pattern. On the north side of the

Petteril, the boundary of the character area cuts through the ends

of strip fields extending from Carleton – preserving the outlines of

medieval/post-medieval open fields. Slight traces of ridge-and-

furrow remain visible on the ground.

Designated assets

8.7 Grade II* listed Petteril Bank, a 19th-century house, is to the north

near Upperby Bridge.

8.8 South of Newbiggin Road is Newbiggin Hall, grade II* listed

country house of 17th and 19th century date, incorporating a

medieval tower house. Associated grade II listed outbuildings.


Landscape character


Shallow valley comprising flat and gently sloping banks, low

river terraces and floodplain, and meandering river course,

contained by gradually sloping sides;

Fossilised river channels and oxbow lakes visible alongside the

main channel;

A generally open landscape, with river terraces forming local

containment;

Shallow, gentle, slow flowing river featuring pools, riffles and

gravel banks, though with propensity to flood across the valley

floor;

Medium-large sized fields of pasture, irregular in shape, and

with weaker field boundaries than elsewhere;

Semi-natural grassland in the north as the valley transitions

from farmland to urban green corridor;

Riparian woodland, particularly in the north, but intermittently

following the river as well as some former channels;

Beyond the M6, the valley narrows and woodland cover

increases towards Wreay Woods nature reserve;

In the north, the urban corridor is enclosed by 20th century

housing and an industrial estate, as well as the 19th-century

Lady Gillford‟s House, now part of the County archives, which

lends a parkland character;

No roads cross the area, and there are few buildings, though

the area is bounded by a main road and railway line and

overlooked by settlement at Carleton;

Tranquillity is particularly limited around the M6, where

Junction 42 has a significant presence in the landscape;

Footpaths line the river, with footbridges allowing access

between Harraby, Upperby, Carleton and the popular car park

close to the M6 that gives access to Wreay Woods; and

Views along and across the valley from locations on the A6,

from the edge of Harraby, forming a key part of the approach

to Carlisle from the south-east.


Appendix 1.


View across the valley to Harraby (LUC) River Petteril (LUC)

The A6 runs alongside the river (LUC) Bridge near Newbiggin Road (LUC)


Sensitivity


Continuous green corridor that connects the urban area of

Carlisle with Wreay Woods to the south, providing links for

wildlife and people;

Locally distinctive topography of river terraces and fluvial

landforms;

Riparian woodland breaks up the openness of the valley;

Veteran oak trees within the valley provide a sense of time

depth;

Red sandstone walls along the A6 Roman Road continue a

characteristic feature of Carleton village to the north;

Valued open space in the north, with well-used footpaths

throughout the area; and

A visual gateway to Carlisle, visible from the southern

approach from Junction 42.

Guidelines



8.13 The open nature of the valley landscape will be sensitive to built

development, notwithstanding the propensity of this area to

flooding which also severely limits the potential for development.

The retention of an open green corridor at this location serves as

an important gateway to southern Carlisle and its character should

be retained.

8.14 As with the Caldew, the Petteril presents itself as ready-made

green infrastructure that is already in place to serve any

development within the study area (5.1). It forms the basis for a

corridor of high-quality open space with good access links for

people, and providing a range of habitat types. There are

important links north into the city, and also south to the popular

Wreay Woods nature reserve, maintained by Cumbria Wildlife

Trust.

8.15 Existing access networks are good, though better east-west links

could be promoted that would seek to enhance access across the

West Coast Main Line railway (5.2), as well as further routes

north-east of the A6 (5.3).

8.16 The relationship of the valley and the village of Carleton (5.4) is

characteristic of this part of the Petteril, including the association

between the village and the former mill at its south edge, as well

as the strip fields that run down from the village to the river.

8.17 The expansion of riparian woodland along the Petteril would

benefit the biodiversity of the area, and could, if site conditions are

appropriate, serve flood attenuation purposes – but detailed

modelling and design would be required. The presence of mature

individual trees at present contributes to the character of this

area, though succession planting should be secured soon to ensure

the longer term viability of this feature in the landscape.


9 Character area 6

9.1 This area includes the farmland to the north-east of the Petteril

valley, on the east side of the study area. The character area

extends from the urban edge at Harraby, eastwards beyond the

M6, which forms the study area boundary. It includes the area

around and east of Junction 42, and is illustrated in Figure 9.1.


Known features

9.2 A substantial number of cropmark features of likely prehistoric

date have been recognised from aerial photography on the rising

ground above Carleton.

9.3 A Roman temporary camp is located on the hill overlooking the

„Golden Fleece‟ motorway junction. The main Roman road from

Carlisle (Luguvalium) to Old Penrith (Voreda) broadly followed the

route of the A6 through Carleton.

9.4 The archaeological potential of the character area is therefore

assessed as being high.

Extant landscape

9.5 The hamlet of Carleton, connected to suburban Carlisle by mid-

20th century ribbon development, retains a strong – broadly 18th

century – historic character, although infill development has

eroded this in places. As noted below, a number of dwellings and

the steading of Carleton farm are listed.

9.6 While Carleton‟s identity as a separate settlement has been eroded

by suburbanisation, the morphology of the hamlet, the number of

historic buildings and its landscape setting combine to create a

strong historic character. The pattern of enclosures to the north

and south of the settlement preserve the distinctive form of

medieval/post-medieval strip fields, helping to place the village in

context.

Designated assets

9.7 Eight listed buildings in Carleton (see below).


Landscape character


An undulating landscape of slightly elevated rolling farmland,

falling west to the Petteril and northward towards Scotby;

The sloping western edge provides a setting to the shallow

Petteril valley, with a skyline of mature trees as viewed from

the A6 south of Carleton;

Wash Beck flows north to Scotby, while an unnamed beck

flows west under the M6 and into the Petteril, demonstrating

the nature of this area as a low ridge;

A particularly distinctive set of narrow fields associated with

Carleton, with more irregular fields further east, and south of

the M6 a strongly rectangular series of fields;

Lines of trees follow the few becks and lanes and occasional

field boundaries, though the main concentration of woodland is

the roadside vegetation along the M6 and Junction 42;

An intensively farmed area, with limited semi-natural land

cover, though with important links to the upper Petteril and

Wreay Woods to the south;

Limited time depth visible except in the vicinity of Carleton and

its historic field patterns;

Settlement fringe character present in the north at the edge of

Carlisle and extending along the A6 south of Carleton;

The M6 Junction 42 is a substantial visual and audible presence

in the landscape, with associated development extending its

influence;

Limited footpath access into this area, though important links

to the Petteril valley and north across the M6;

Long views east to the North Pennines are common in this

area, and southern views look to Barrock Fell;

Views over the Petteril valley from the western edge of this

landscape, though the wider area is not overlooked and has

indistinct skylines; and

Rural tranquillity in this area is limited by the presence of busy

roads and the generally intensive nature of the farmland.


Appendix 1.


Cumwhinton Road approaching Harraby (LUC) High hedges (LUC)

Landscape near Cumwhinton (LUC) M6 Junction 42 (LUC)


Townscape character: Carleton

Designated assets

9.10 Eight listed buildings, all Grade II (see Figure 9.2):

The Cottage (late 18th century);

The Beeches (Farmhouse, 1830-40);

5, Brisco View (late 18th century);

Farm Buildings to the East of the Beeches (1826);

Orchard House (late 18th century);

Croft House, Petteril Villas 1 and 2 (early 19th century);

Outbuilding to south-east of The Cottage (early 18th century);

and

Carleton Farmhouse and barns adjoining (1770s).

Non-designated

Carleton Mill Cottage (1721).


9.11 Carleton is a hamlet and wider township in the historic Parish of St

Cuthbert Without, two miles south-east of Carlisle on the A6

London Road. The northern end of the settlement is almost

continuous with the ribbon development of the London Road,

leading out of Carlisle. However, the hamlet continues to be

surrounded by agricultural fields, and has a distinctive rural

character of its own.

9.12 The area served as one of the „granges‟, or outlying monastic

farming estates, supplying food to the cathedral priory. The name

Carleton, or the carles‟-towne, is thought to derive from the

husbandmen, or free tenant farmers, who were known locally as

„carles‟ or „churles‟. The lawyer Thomas Denton described the soils

here as „rich, fertill, clay ground, subject to be overflowed with

Petterill‟ in 1687. The settlement appears to have developed in a

linear pattern along the main road. John Ogilby‟s 1675 strip map

uses standard pictograms to indicate buildings, possibly cottages,

along both sides of the road.

9.13 The hamlet continued to develop as a centre of agricultural

„improvement‟ in the 18th and 19th centuries. Most of the existing

buildings date from these centuries. The population in 1821 was

201 people, split between 38 houses, according to the History,

Directory & Gazetteer of Cumberland & Westmorland of 1829

(page 116). Although it never had its own church, there was a

school from at least the mid-1780s, 9 farmers, two pubs, a joiner,

shoemaker and blacksmith. Carleton Corn Mill was built in 1721 at

the southern end of the hamlet, where the road passes close by

the River Petteril. Two major farm complexes represent the largest

developments in the hamlet: south of the road, Carleton Farm, a

U-plan steading of 1770 incorporating the farmhouse at the

centre; and north of the road, The Beeches, a farmhouse and

steading complex of the 1820s-40s. Enclosure of the surrounding

fields happened relatively late, in 1854. Workers‟ cottage lined the

north side of the main road.

9.14 20th and 21st century developments have included relatively minor

insertions and replacement buildings. The largest scale

development comprises the agricultural sheds at the back of The

Beeches and the garage and depot behind the former Dhak

Tandoori Restaurant.


Strong rural, agricultural character:

- three main farmsteadings addressing the road;

- terraced farm-workers cottages

- converted agricultural buildings

Fine 18th and early 19th century domestic buildings (esp.

Petteril Villas, with carriage arch).


Figure 9.2 Carleton


Petteril Villas (Nick Haynes) Brisco View (Nick Haynes)

Carleton Farm (LUC) Dhak Tandoori Restaurant (Nick Haynes)


Sensitivity


Rural, agricultural character of Carleton created by settlement

morphology and profusion of historic buildings;

Distinctive remaining strip fields around Carleton that

contribute to the landscape structure and character of this area

and of the Petteril valley;

Lines of field boundary trees are a feature on both sides of the

M6;

Well-established wooded character and parkland setting of the

Garlands area to the north, with open space forming a positive

urban edge;

Visual relationship between this area and the Petteril valley to

the south; and

The M6 forms a robust boundary between the urban and urban

fringe areas around Carlisle, and the open countryside to the

east.

Guidelines



9.18 The most distinctive parts of this landscape are the strip fields and

their intact relationship with Carleton village (6.1). The village

retains a strong historic character and several buildings of historic

and architectural interest, and its setting is unlikely to be able to

absorb further large-scale development.

9.19 The presence of the village of Carleton, and the intervening strip

fields, just beyond the existing urban edge presents a significant

constraint to successfully integrating large-scale development in

this area. However, there may be opportunities for smaller scale

development to be suitably located here, subject to careful siting

and design (6.2). As for Brisco, in-fill development would need to

be carefully designed to reflect, conserve and enhance the village‟s

character and the significance of neighbouring historic buildings.

Any development would benefit from ready access to green

infrastructure links to the city centre via the Petteril corridor.

9.20 On the east side of the M6, existing piecemeal development

around Junction 42 (6.3) indicates some potential for additional

development in this location, for land uses requiring motorway

access. The woodlands along the Petteril and along the beck to

the north of the B6263 have landscape value, and could serve to

frame further development in this area.


10 References

Select Bibliography

Historic Maps

[via Portsmouth University Geography Department:

www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes]

1576, Christopher Saxton

1611, John Speed

1646, John Jansson

1675, John Ogilby

1695, Robert Morden

1724, Hermann Moll

1760, Emanuel Bowen & Thomas Kitchin

1787, John Cary

1824, C. & J. Greenwood

[via www.cumbriaimagebank.org.uk]

1868 Ordnance Survey Map (6-inch)

[via www.maps.nls.uk]

1901 ordnance Survey Map (6-inch)

Books

Thomas Denton (ed. Angus J.L. Winchester), A Perambulation of

Cumberland 1687-88, Woodbridge, 2003

Matthew Hyde & Nikolas Pevsner, Buildings of England: Cumbria,

New haven & London, 2010

Alan James & Brian Nicholson, Cummersdale: History, Geography,

Walks, Carlisle, n/d

Mannix & Whellan, History, Gazetteer and Directory of

Cumberland, 1847

William Parson & William White, History, Directory & Gazetteer of

Cumberland & Westmorland, 1829

Guidance tools regarding the setting of heritage assets

English Heritage (2008) Conservation Principles: Policy and

Guidance for the Sustainable Management of the Historic

Environment. London: English Heritage.

English Heritage (2010) Understanding Place: Historic Area

Assessments in a Planning and Development Context. London:

English Heritage.

Historic England (2015) Historic Environment Good Practice Advice

in Planning Note 3: The Setting of Heritage Assets. London:

Historic England.

NB. A revised draft was issued for consultation in early 2017,

closing on 28 February 2017.

Historic England (2015) Historic Environment Good Practice Advice

in Planning Note 2: Managing Significance in Decision-Taking in

the Historic Environment. London: Historic England.

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